"It felt great out there," said Ott after the game. "It really did feel awesome. A clean slate was wiped in the last 48 hours."

"This is a very tough league and you have to compete in order to have a chance," said Nolan. "Tonight we competed hard and the result was pretty good."

Marcus Foligno scored the go-ahead goal, and Christian Ehrhoff sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute. The Sabres (5-15-1) won their second consecutive game for the first time since closing last season with two victories. They also won their second straight at home after opening the season 0-8-1 in Buffalo.

Ryan Miller stopped 32 shots, and was particularly sharp in the final minute.

The win came two days after Sabres owner Terry Pegula fired coach Ron Rolston and general manager Darcy Regier.